ABC "American Idol" judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie
ABC’s “American Idol” finished audition episodes for season 20 and has moved on to Hollywood Week for the March 28, 2022 episode.
During the episode, according to the description, former contestants “mentor the contestants, including Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Lauren Alaina, Ruben Studdard, Chayce Beckham, Lee DeWyze and Haley Reinhart. Fan favorites from auditions will then take the stage for the Genre Challenge to sing their hearts out and impress judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie in hopes of making it through to the next round.”
See all of the spoilers for Hollywood Week here.
SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers for “American Idol” season 20 Hollywood Week genre challenge follow.
‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week Live Recap
The show started off with Katy Perry talking about how all kinds of people go to Hollywood Week on “American Idol,” people from all walks of life. Then, Lionel Richie talked about the pressure those artists feel while competing in Hollywood Week.
The Genre Challenge was the first of the week. The contestants chose between indie rock, R&B, pop, soul, and country. Within those genres, the contestants competed against one another.
The contestants who received the Platinum Tickets in their audition were able to skip the genre challenge. Those contestants were Huntergirl, Jay, and Kenedi Anderson.
Country Genre: Mentored by Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina is an “American Idol” alum, and she mentored the contestants on Hollywood Week who chose to sing in the country genre.
The first performance came from Mike Parker. He told the judges that his mother had recently been diagnosed with leukemia and that he was dedicating his time on “American Idol” to her. He performed “Burning House” by Cam, and he received a standing ovation from the judges.
Next up was Kaylin Roberson, a 23-year-old country singer, singing “Mercy” by Brett Young. Then, Olivia Faye, 24, took the stage. She sang “Lord Have Mercy on My Soul.” After, Sarahbeth Tate performed for the judges.
The show focused on contestant Kelsie Dolin, who was very nervous before her time to go on stage. She had never performed in public before, so it was all very new for her. She was shaking on the stage before singing, and the judges encouraged her. She sang “Things a Man Oughta Know” by Lainey Wilson to a very receptive crowd.
All the contestants who were featured singing on the show made it through. The contestants who weren’t asked to come forward did not make it through, but they also weren’t shown singing in the episode.
R&B Genre: Mentored By Ruben Studdard
Season 2 “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard came back to mentor the contestants singing R&B.
First up was 21-year-old Zareh Turner, whose mom Nadia Turner was on “American Idol.” She sang “One and Only” by Adele. She couldn’t hear the piano, so she started a bit late. Next, Tobias took the stage and performed. He sang a lot of runs that the judges didn’t really seem on board with, even though Ruben Studdard warned him to hold back a bit. Katyrah Love took the stage next with the song “Saving All My Love For You.”
Katyrah and Tobias both made it through to the next round.
Indie-Folk Genre: Mentored by Lee DeWyze
Lee DeWyze, the 2010 winner of “American Idol,” mentored the Indie-Folk Genre Challenge artists. He told the artists that he wanted them to make the audience really feel something.
Leah Marlene was the first contestant up in this genre. She performed “Sk8er Boy” by Avril Levine, but she put her own spin on it. There were snippets of performances from multiple artists after that with a voiceover from Lionel Richie talking about how the judges were impressed with the indie artists.
Fritz was the second full song shown. He said that he didn’t think he was the “best singer” at Hollywood Week and he was having a hard time with his confidence. He performed “Unsteady.” The judges were completely impressed with his performance.
Leah and Fritz both made it through.
Soul Genre: Mentored by Hailey Reinhart
Hailey Reinhart was on “American Idol” in 2011, and she came back to mentor the Soul genre contestants. Danielle Finn was the first artist highlighted this time, and she performed “Easy on Me” by Adele.
Christian Guardino was up next. He shared that he has a retinal condition that causes blindness. He performed “My Future” by Billie Eilish.
Both artists made it through.
Rock Genre: Mentored by David Cook
David Cook, the 2008 winner of “American Idol,” mentored the rock genre contestants.
Cole Hallman was the first contestant showcased in the rock genre. He was the contestant who was nervous to audition but had his little sister, Katie, join him. For Hollywood Week, he sang “Vienna” by Billy Joel.
He made it through to the next round.
Pop Genre: Mentored by Jordin Sparks
Emyrson, a 16-year-old singer, was the first contestant in this genre that was highlighted. She performed “Love In the Dark” by Adele.
Morgan Gruber sang Demi Lovato’s “Anyone” for her performance.
The girls made it through to the next round.
Later, the pop genre returned. Sir Blayke was the first to meet with Jordin Sparks. He sang “True Colors” for his performance. Ava Maybee, the daughter of the drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, performed next. She sang “Roxanne” for her song.
Then, Sam Finelli performed “Say Something.”
The performers moving forward did include Sir Blayke and Ava Maybee.
Country Artists Speak With Chayce Beckham
Reigning artist Chayce Beckham showed up to speak with some of the country artists and performed his hit song “23” once again for the judges and contestants.
Ryleigh Madison showed up in the country genre. She cried when she met Lauren Alaina, and she performed “Crazy” by Patsy Cline.
Noah Thompson, who Katy called “the American dream” during his audition, was up next. He performed “Burning House” by Cam.
Both contestants made it through, along with everyone else in their lineup.
Ryan Seacrest revealed that a few of the favorite contestants from auditions were sent home, including the singing babysitter and the TikTok Sea Shanty singer.
Soul
The second round of the Soul genre started with Kevin Gullage, who took a risky move at the start of his performance. In this group, Cadence Baker also performed. Tristen Grussett also performed, recalling that the judges told him to back down and simplify during his audition.
All three of the artists went through.
Pop Genre
The last group of the night was the pop genre. Jacob Moran was in that group, hoping to impress the judges. When he was finished, Katy said “he could do so much better.”
Danielle Clavelle was the next artist up, followed by Douglas Mills Jr.
Last up was Nicolina, who talked about her life so far and why she wanted to audition for “American Idol.”
“When I sing, I feel like it’s what I’m meant to be doing,” she shared. She ended up performing “everything i wanted” by Billie Eilish.
All of the artists went through.
Next up is the Duet Challenge, which will cut the list down to 59 contestants. The Platinum Ticket holders were able to pick their own partners for the upcoming challenge, while the judges chose for everyone else.
“American Idol” airs on Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time on ABC.
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